KING’S has announced it will lease the Aldwych Quarter for at least the next 50 years, according to Principal Ed Byrne.

Read the exclusive interview with the Principal here.

Five new Aldwych based buildings will be leased for at least the next 50 years, according to Principal Ed Byrne.

In an email to students, he said: “King’s is intending to lease the Aldwych Quarter, four iconic and newly refurbished buildings.”

“Acquiring the Aldwych Quarter will create a wonderful and dynamic campus right in the heart of London.”

The sites to be acquired by King's.

Two of the five buildings leased will be available for King’s Students in September 2016 – Bush House, the former home to the BBC, and Strand House which sits directly opposite from the Strand Building.

By 2025 a further three Aldwych based buildings will be acquired, including the Aldwych Quarter, King House and Melbourne House.

The new space, which is over three times larger than the Strand Building is intended for student study and social space, a well as facilities for teaching and offices.

In total a whopping 300,000 square feet of space will be added.

According to the Principal, “as well as creating better quality facilities for students in the Arts and Sciences disciplines”, the new buildings will allow the university “to expand into new subject areas”.

The email reads: “We are delighted to share with you the exciting news that King’s is intending to lease the Aldwych Quarter, four iconic and recently refurbished buildings, located on the Strand and formerly home to the BBC. The university has just reached agreement in principle to take a lease on the premises initially for 50 years, but we intend to occupy the site for a much longer period than that.

Acquiring the Aldwych Quarter will create a wonderful and dynamic campus right in the heart of London by combining two prime central London locations: the Aldwych and the Strand. These prestigious buildings will provide much needed additional space for new teaching facilities and student study, as well as academic and social space. We will develop the Aldwych and the Strand as a unified campus.

As well as creating better quality facilities for students in the Arts and Sciences disciplines, we will be able to expand into new subject areas, and this will enable us to minimise disruption for our students as we start to redevelop our Strand estate as a whole. We will involve the King’s community in the design phase of this exciting project and will be in touch in due course with details of how you can engage. Staff and students will be engaged at all levels in the oversight process.”

Roar has an exclusive interview with the Principal at 2pm – send in your questions to [email protected], tweet us at @Roar_News or Facebook us at www.facebook.com